Method for automatically feeding and erecting folded cartons

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method is disclosed for receiving folded cartons in a vertical manner in a storage chute and to deliver and retain these cartons in a substantially horizontal delivery chute. The cartons are withdrawn one-at-a-time from this horizontal chute by an arm means on which a plurality of suction cups are mounted. By swinging this arm the vacuum cups are brought into engagement with the lowermost carton whereat vacuum is applied to the cups to cause attachment to the carton. The cups and attached carton are then swung to a transporting station. During this swing, cam means engage the moving carton to cause the carton to be erected. At the transport station the erected carton is disengaged from the vacuum cups and then moved to loading operations.

United States Patent [1 1 Heisler 1 -Jan. 7, 1975 [76] Inventor: RaymondA. Heisler, 657 Dakota Trl., Franklin Lakes, NJ. 07407 [22] Filed: Mar.12, 1974 21] Appl. No.: 450,400

Related US. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 336,246, Feb. 27,1973, Pat. No.

[52] US. Cl. 93/53 M, 93/53 SD, 271/150 [51] Int. Cl 1331b 1/76 [58]Field of Search 93/53 M, 53 SD, 53 R; 214/7, 8.5 A, 8.5B;271/99,l00,101,102, 150, 149; 53/186 [56] References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 2,853,296 9/1958 Skow 271/3.1 UX 3,420,037 1/1969Villemure et al...... 93/53 SD X 3,613,525 10/1971 Lcnse et :11. 93/53SD Daily et a1. 271/31 X Langen et a1. 93/53 SD Primary E.taminerRoyLake Assistant Examiner-James F. Coan Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Ralph R.Roberts [57] ABSTRACT An apparatus and method is disclosed for receivingfolded cartons in a vertical manner in a storage chute and to deliverand retain these cartons in a substantially horizontal delivery chute.The cartons are withdrawn one-at-atime from this horizontal chute by anarm means on which a pluralityof suction cups are mounted. By swingingthis arm the vacuum cups are brought into engagement with the lowermostcarton whereat vacuum is applied to the cups to cause attachment to thecarton. The cups and attached carton are then swung to a transportingstation. During this swing, cam means engage the moving carton to causethe carton to be erected. At the transport station the erected carton isdisengaged from the vacuum cups and then moved to loading operations.

5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Patented Jan. 7, 1975 3 Sheets-Sheet lPatented Jan. 7, 1975 3,858,490

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY FEEDING AND ERECTING FOLDEDCARTONS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is adivisional application resulting from a requirement for restriction inthe case of a divisional application filed Feb. 27, 1973 and having Ser.No. 336,246, now US. Pat. No. 3,814,000, and entitled, Apparatus andMethod for Automatically Feeding and Erecting Folded Cartons. The parentapplication Ser. No. 204,892 was filed Dec. 6, 1971 and entitled,Apparatus and Method for Orienting and Case Packing Bailed Containers,which application matured as U.S. Pat. No. 3,740,919 and issued on June26, 1973.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l. Field of the Invention With respect tothe classification of art as established in the US. Patent Office thepresent invention pertains to the class entitled, Package Making (Class53) and the subclass therein of group forming of contents unit (subclass26).

2. Description of the Prior Art Erecting cartons from a flat storedcondition is, of course, well known and is shown in many machines andpatents. In the present invention the flat cartons are supplied as agroup to a supply hopper in which they are initially verticallydisposed. In this stored condition the cartons are fed automatically toa delivery chute whereat the advanced cartons are arranged and stackedin a mostly horizontal condition. From this hopper the cartons arewithdrawn one-by-one from the bottom by means of a reciprocal rotatablearm upon which are carried a plurality of vacuum cups. These cups arepressed against and actuated to grip the carton. During the removalaction the gripped carton is caused to be brought to an erectedcondition in a transfer frame.

Prior art devices for erecting cartons often use a vacuum cup system incombination with a moving member. These devices often are less thansatisfactory in the handling of the containers at high speeds. Thedifficulty encountered is often due to the needed speed of movement ofthe arms or members containing the vacuum cups. The present inventionuses a lost motion at both the grasping of the carton and at the releaseof the carton to permit movement of the carton and the development of avacuum attachment and release.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention may be summarized at least inpart with reference to its objects. It is an object of this invention toprovide, and it does provide, a method for automatically feeding anderecting folded cartons upon demand and at a rate equal to otherautomatic packaging procedures connected therewith.

It is a further object of this invention to provide, and it doesprovide, a method of feeding and erecting folded cartons in which thetransfer of the carton from a vertical to a horizontal stack is achievedby a conveying belt actuated with the movement of an arm having aplurality of suction cups mounted thereon. The cups and associatedvacuum are used to pull the lowermost carton from the supply chute andduring the movement from this chute to a delivery station the carton isengaged by cam guides to cause the carton to be opened as it is broughtto and is placed on carton transporting apparatus.

In addition to the above summary the following disclosure is detailed toinsure adequacy and aid in understanding of the invention. Thisdisclosure, however, is not intended to prejudice that purpose of apatent which is to cover each new inventive concept therein no matterhow it may later be disguised by variations in form or additions offurther improvement. For this reason there has been chosen a specificembodiment of the apparatus for automatically erecting cartons asadopted for use with a carton conveying mechanism. This specificembodiment has been chosen for the purposes of illustration anddescription as shown in the .accompanying drawings wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 represents a perspective viewofa case packer and showing in particular an arrangement for feedingbailed containers to an orienting mechanism and delivering thesecontainers to an erected carton as provided by the mechanism of thisinvention and for gluing and closing the carton after filling;

FIG. 2 represents, in an enlarged scale, a side view, partly in section,a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 1 and showing in particular-theapparatus of this invention and the means for storing and feeding thecartons from a receiving station to an erecting station for delivery toan advancing conveyor and loading station;

FIG. 3 represents a fragmentary sectional side view of the cartonerecting and delivery mechanism of FIG. 2 and showing in particular alower carton in the inital stage of being grasped by a plurality ofsuction cups each carried by a delivery arm;

FIG. 4 represents a sectional side view of the apparatus of FIG. 3 afterthe suction cups have engaged the carton and with the arms beginning tomove the carton downwardly a small distance;

FIG. 5 represents a sectional side view of the same apparatus as inFIGS. 3 and 4 but with the delivery arms now moved downwardly to a pointof operation where the carton is about threequarters'erected, and

FIG. 6 represents a sectional side view of the apparatus of FIG. 5 butwith the transfer arms now moved so as to bring the carton into a fullyerected condition.

In the following description and in the claims various details will beidentified by specific names for convenience. The names, however, areintended to be generic in their application. Corresponding referencecharacters refer to like members throughout the several figures of thedrawings.

The drawings accompanying, and forming part of, this specificationdisclose certain details of construction for the purpose of explanationof the broader aspects of the invention, but it should be understoodthat structural details may be modified in various respects withoutdeparture from the concept and principles of the invention and that theinvention may be incorporated in other structural forms than shown.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now in particular toFIG. 1 wherein an automatic case packer is shown in which from and on areceiving conveyor 30 a succession of bailed containers 31 are carried.Each container has a pivotally attached wire bail 32 and is fed in asingle-file array to an orienting mechanism generally indicated as 33.In this orienting apparatus the containers are caused to be brought intogroups of two and aligned in pairs are fed into an erected carton lyingat an angle. The carton is disposed with a pair of side flaps of thecarton open so that the containers, with the bails in a determinedarray, may be fed to and slid into this open side of the carton. Acarton storage and feeding apparatus is generally indicated as 34 and isadapted to receive cartons in a flat folded condition and in asubstantially vertical condition. In this attitude, advancing means movethese cartons to a delivery chute where these cartons are here graspedone at a time by means of a plurality of vacuum cups each carried at theend of a delivery arm. The of vacuum cups each carried at the end ofadelivery arm. The grasped carton is brought into a carton-erecting mechanism generally indicated as 35. This erecting station is more fullydescribed in conjunction with specific details and specific arrangementsas shown in FIGS. 2 through 6.

After four bailed containers have been oriented and delivered to andinto the open side of the angularly disposed carton, the carton isadvanced to a flap-closing station whereat a hot-melt glue as deliveredfrom a glue application mechanism 36 is applied as by sprayingonto theflaps of the carton, after which the fiaps are closed and the sealedcartons are lifted by elevating mechanism generally indicated as 38 fordelivery to and onto a delivery conveyor or onto a pallet for stacking(not shown). The means of accummulating the sealed cartons is'merelyamatter of selection to accommodate the apparatus at the customersplant.

Carton-Feeding and Delivery Mechanism of FIG. 2

Referring next to FIG. 2, there is shown a side view, partly in section,of the carton-feeding and delivery mechanism 34. As depicted, a chute40, carried on a framework 42, is adapted to receive a group of flatfolded cartons 44 which are delivered and stored in the chute in asubstantially vertical manner. This chute 40 is open at the top and back(left end) so that, as the car tons are used, other cartons are suppliedto the delivery system by an attendant without the necessity of shuttingdown the operation of the case packer to replenish the carton supply.Thev cartons 44, as they are deposited in the chute, rest upon a toothedbelt 46 which has its left end carried by an idler pulley 48 mounted onand carried by a shaft 49 supported by and rotatably retained by a pairof pillow block bearings 50 mounted on a pair of the upright members ofthe framework 42.

To the right of idler pulley 48 is a smaller pulley 52 mounted on shaft53. This shaft is supported and rotatably retained by bearings notshown. The toothed belt 1 46 on its upper extent or reach extends frompulley 48 to pulley 52 in a substantially horizontal manner. Afterpassing over pulley 52, the belt 46 is directed downwardly at anapproximately sixty to seventy degree angle. In this downward travelthis extent of belt is supported by and slides on a slide plate 54. Thisslide plate is secured to and is retained in a determined condition by abolster or header member 56 which is attached to and is carried by afront frame member 57. The belt in its downward-supported travelcontinues to a drive pulley 58 which is carried by drive shaft 59rotatably retained in bearings, not shown. These bearings are secured toand carried by frame 57.

The toothed belt 46 is directed around drive pulley 58 to a tighteningpulley 62 rotatably carried on a shaft 63 secured to a pivot arm 64whose pivoted end is mounted and retained on a pivot piin 65 carried bybolster 56. From pulley 62 the belt 46 extends to pulley 48 and travelsin the direction as indicated by the arrows. The drive or advancement ofthe belt 46 is intermittent and is accomplished and regulated by meansof a drive system which includes a lobe provided on a cam member 66which is secured to and rotated with shaft 59. As shaft 59 is rotatedclockwise as indicated by the arrow, the lobe 66 is brought in way ofand engages a roller 68 so as to lift arm 64 around pivot pin 65. Withlobe 66 in engagement with roller 68 and the arm 64 in lifted conditionthe pulley 62 is moved upwardly to tighten belt 46 and cause it to beadvanced with the clockwise rotation of pulley 58.

Adjustably carried on the opposite side of the slide plate 54 anddefining an angled carton-retaining means is a pair of guide rails 72.These rails are carried on threaded studs 73 extending through a headermember 74 attached to and supported by frame 57. On the forward ordownward end of each of the rails 72 is provided an inturning lip orstop 76 which engages and supports the stack of cartons and particularlythe lowermost carton 44. Extending inwardly a short distance from eachside of the chute 40 is an ear or tab 78 disposed to engage thislowermost carton at its outer edge to prevent sagging or unwanteddropping of the carton 44. In an alignment with the downwardly slopedextent of belt 46, there is provided a pair of stops 80 which engage thelower edge and face of the carton to prevent its dropping or accidentaldisplacement from the chute until the carton is removed by means ofvacuum cups 82 carried on arms 84.

As reduced to practice, there are four vacuum cups 82, each attached toan arm 84. Each arm is a bent tube carried in a bracket 85 secured toshaft 59 and moved therewith. A flexible tube or conductor 86 isattached to each arm 84 at the bracket 85 and at the other end each tubeis connected to a header member 88 which is connected by a line or pipe89 to a cylinder 90. A gauge 91 is flow-connected to this line toindicate the amount of vacuum developed by the movement of the piston incylinder as this piston is moved by another connected power cylinderused to actuate the apparatus for erecting and transporting a carton. Astop 92 is disposed to engage a carton and to limit and retain the upperedge of this carton as it is being erected. A guide finger 94 engagesand retains the erected carton during the erection and retainingsequence.

Carton-Erecting Apparatus of FIGS. 3 thru 6 Referring next to thecarton-erecting mechanism of FIGS. 3 through 6, it is to be noted thatin FIG. 3 the attached vacuum cup 82 and arm 84 are in cartonengagingposition. Shaft 59 as carried by front frame 57 has been rotatedcounterclockwise by a flexible belt fixedly attached by means of a screw101 to a driven pulley 102 which is fixedly attached to shaft 59. Theother end of the belt 100 is secured by means of a cap screw 103 to adrive pulley 104 carried on a drive or power shaft 106 also rotatablysupported by front frame 57. Shaft 106 is rotated both clockwise andcounterclockwise by means of a pinion 108 driven by a rack 109 carriedby a reciprocated frame 110 which is moved by a power piston portion 111of cylinder 90.

It is to be noted that belt 100, as shown, is crossed but not twisted asit is secured to both pulleys 102 and 104. A determined amount of slackor play is provided in the mounting and securing of this belt to thepulleys. This slack permits and provides a determined degree of lostmotion in the relative rotation of shaft 106 as it is moved in responseto the rotation of shaft 59.

As seen in FIG. 3, the piston portion 111 has reached the forward end ofits stroke imparting a clockwise rotation to the pinion 108 as driven byrack 109 in its rightward travel. The tensioned side of belt 100 haspulled driven pulley 102 counterclockwise and the arm 84 has been swungby shaft 59 until the suction cup 82 has been brought into a pressedengagement with the undersurface of the lowermost of the cartons 44.With the cup 82 now in engagement with the face of the carton, the powerpiston portion 111 is caused to move leftwardly, as well as theconnected frame 110. The piston in cylinder 90 is also moved leftwardlyby the power piston portion 111, causing a vacuum to be applied in thearms 84 and at the cups 82. The pinion 108 is now rotatedcounterclockwise and when the slack in belt 100 has been taken up thepulley 102 is rotated clockwise.

Referring next to FIG. 4, it is to be noted that the vacuum cups 82have, by vacuum, attached themselves to the lower panel of the carton 44and as the arm 84 is begun to be swung clockwise around shaft 59 thecarton is pulled from stop 76 while the tabs 78 retain the oppositesides ofthe midportion of the lowest carton in the chute. Stop 80 andbelt 46' insure that the lower edge of this lowest carton is restrainedagainst sliding until the carton is substantially opened.

Referring next to FIG. 5, it is to be noted that carton 44 has beencompletely pulled from the chute by the continued downward swing of arm84 as it is moved in a clockwise direction. The carton 44, still held bythe vacuum cups 82, has now been pulled so that its lower right face isbrought into engagement with a guide 112 which prevents the carton fromdropping further. A support bar 113 carries the guide 112 which has itsfront end contoured to also provide a guide and retaining means for anerected carton as it is advanced to the loading station.

Referring next to FIG. 6, it is to be noted that the apparatus of FIG. 5has now moved so that the arms 84 are at their maximum limit of downwardswing. The carton 44 which is still retained by vacuum cups 82 on theends of arms 84 has been moved until the carton is against stop 92 andunder spring-loaded guide finger 94. This stop causes the carton to besquared as it is drawn against the stop as seen in FIG. 6 and the finger94 presses the erected carton against frame 110.

The clockwise travel of arm 84 as provided by the rotation of shaft 59through the movement of rack 109 is stopped when the carton 44 is fullyerected as in FIG. 6. The vacuum supplied to the vacuum cups 82 bycylinder 90 is allowed to drop to a point where it is substantiallyineffective. This dropping or reducing of the vacuum occurs in thepresent embodiment through a combined action. A line-bleeding valve isadjusted so as to limit the amount of vacuum developed by cylinder 90and through this bleed the vacuum to the cups 82 rapidly drops. Asimultaneous action also occurs in that the ability of the cups 82 toseal themselves to a cardboard surface is less than complete.Accordingly, after the carton has been erected for a very short periodof time, the ability of cups 82 to retain the erected carton 44 byvacuum ceases and the erected carton is held by finger 94, stop 92 andframe 110.

Reference is again made to FIG. 2 wherein it is to be noted thatpivotally retained by and movable with the reciprocated frame 110 is aplurality of pusher fingers or stops 114 which are pivotally carried byand on pins 115. Springs 116 are adapted to urge the upper or distalends of the fingers above the carton support surfaces provided by achannel frame 118 upon which the erected carton is transportedrightwardly.

On the carton-transferring stroke, the power piston 111 moves thereciprocal frame 110 rightwardly as the frame is supported by and iscarried on a plurality of rollers 120. These rollers are carried byframe 118 and permit frame 110 to be moved rightwardly a determineddistance, which distance is equal to the distance between sets or pairsof fingers 114. As the carton identified as I is moved rightwardly bystop 92 it is brought to and under the undersurface of guide bar portion122 of guide 112, which bar portion is spaced from surface 118 an amountsufficient to provide a snug sliding fit for an erected carton 44. Aretaining latch 124 is pivotally carried by bar 122 and as the erectedcarton is brought to an advanced condition indicated as II the latch 124is first cammed upwardly until the carton passes, after which the latchdrops onto the top extent of the carton so that the latch dog portionprovided on the left end of said latch 124 engages the upper left cornerof the carton. The carton 44 now in position II is ready to receive thebailed containers from the orienting mechanism 28. At the end of theforward stroke of piston portion 111, a signal is received by thecontrol circuit and the piston in portion 111 is then moved leftwardly.During the forward transport of the erected carton from position I toposition II the shaft 59 and attached arms 84 have been swungcounterclockwise from the position of FIG. 6 to the position of FIG. 3.The slack built into this action by the belt permits a delayed swing ofarm 84 to occur. This delay permits the erected carton at position I tobe moved a short distance rightwardly before arm 84 starts to moveupwardly. This initial movement of the carton insures that the suctioncup 82 is disengaged from the carton and does not brush the cartonduring the counterclockwise upward swing of the arms 84.

Method for Automatically Feeding and Erecting Folded Cartons The aboveapparatus provides a sufficient back ground for establishing a method ofautomatically feeding and erecting folded cartons. Although the methodcan be performed by theabove disclosed apparatus other apparatus canperform the following method steps. This method for automaticallyfeeding and erecting folded cartons includes the steps of: (a) initiallysupplying the folded cartons to a vertical supply chute; (b)transporting and transferring the folded cartons from the initial supplychute to a substantially horizontal condition in a horizontal storagechute; (c) engaging the bottom folded carton by a plurality of suctioncups carried by and on a rotatable shaft; d) causing a source of vacuumto be connected to the suction cups to cause the folded carton to begripped by said cups; (e) pulling the carton from its horizontallystored position to and in way of erecting finger guides and byengagement with said guides pushing the sides of the carton to anerected condition at an erecting station; (f) after bringing the cartonto the erected condition causing the vacuum to the cups to be terminatedto release the erected carton; (g) moving the erected carton from theerecting station, and (h) with the moving erected carton at a determineddistance from the vacuum cups rotating the shaft and said carried cupsto bring the cups in way of the next carton to be erected.

Other method steps include transporting the cartons on an endlesstoothed belt moved in an intermittent manner, moving the shaft carrryingthe vacuum cups by a lost motion action, and providing the source ofvacuum to the vacuum cups by coupling the cylinder by which the erectedcarton is moved to another hydraulic cylinder which is adapted toprovide a source of vacuum as it is moved.

Terms such as left, right, up, down, bottom," top, front, back, in, out,clockwise, counterclockwise and the like are applicable to theembodiment shown and described in conjunction with the drawings. Theseterms are merely for the purposes of description and do not necessarilyapply to the position in which the folded cartons may be fed, stored anderected and in which the apparatus may be constructed or used.

While a particular embodiment of the mechanism for feeding and erectinghas been shown and described it is to be understood the invention is notlimited thereto since modifications may be made within the scope of theaccompanying claims and protection is sought to the broadest extent theprior art allows.

n L as u n at What is claimed is:

1. A method for automatically feeding and erecting folded cartons, saidmethod including the steps of: (a) initially supplying the foldedcartons to a vertical supply chute where the lower edges of the cartonsare supported on an endless belt; (b) transporting the folded cartonsfrom the initial supply chute by the intermittent advancement of saidbelt to deliver the cartons to be deposited in a substantiallyhorizontal condition in a horizontal chute, the advancement of theendless belt being in response to the rotative motion of a shaft whichcarries a plurality of suction cups; engaging the bottom folded cartonby the plurality of suction cups carried by and on said rotatable shaft;(d) causing a source of vacuum to be connected to the suction cups tocause the folded carton to be gripped by said cups; (e) pulling thecarton from its horizontally stored position to and in way of guidemeans and by engagement with said guide means pushing the sides of thecarton to an erected condition at an erecting station; (f) afterbringing the carton to the erected condition causing the vacuum to thecups to be terminated to release the erected carton; (g) moving theerected carton from the erecting station, and (h) with the movingerected carton at a determined distance from the vacuum cups rotatingthe shaft and said carried cups to bring the cups in way of the nextcarton to be erected.

2. The method of automatically feeding and erecting folded cartons as inclaim I in which the intermittent advancing of the endless belt includesa cam-actuated tightening pulley carried on a pivoted arm and with a camdisposed to move said pivoted arm, said cam being carried on and rotatedwith the shaft which carries the suction cups.

3. The method of automatically feeding and erecting folded cartons as inclaim 1 which further includes the step of carrying the erected cartonon a reciprocated frame moved by a hydraulic cylinder, the movement ofsaid frame also causing a drive shaft to be rotated and there isprovided a belt connecting said drive shaft to the shaft carrying thesuction cups, the connecting of said belt being in a manner so toprovide a determined lost motion to insure a delay in the movement ofthe suction cups to the lowermost folded carton in the stack and in themovement of the suction cups from the erected carton.

4. The method of automatically feeding and erecting folded cartons as inclaim 3 which further includes connecting the hydraulic cylinder whichmoves the reciprocated frame to another hydraulic cylinder, saidcylinder as it is moved developing the nected to the vacuum cups.

5. The method of automatically feeding and erecting a folded carton asin claim 1 which further includes moving the erected carton in responseto the reciprocated movement of a drive shaft which is connected by abelt to the shaft carrying the suction cups, said connecting belt beingattached to each shaft so as to drive and rotate either of the-shaftsless than one revolution in either direction, said connecting beltshaving a determined slack to provide a determined lost motion action toinsure delay in the movement of the suction cups to the lowermost foldedcarton in the stack and to a like extent in the movement of the cupsfrom the erected carton.

1. A method for automatically feeding and erecting folded cartons, saidmethod including the steps of: (a) initially supplying the foldedcartons to a vertical supply chute where the lower edges of the cartonsare supported on an endless belt; (b) transporting the folded cartonsfrom the initial supply chute by the intermittent advancement of saidbelt to deliver the cartons to be deposited in a substantiallyhorizontal condition in a horizontal chute, the advancement of theendless belt being in response to the rotative motion of a shaft whichcarries a plurality of suction cups; (c) engaging the bottom foldedcarton by the plurality of suction cups carried by and on said rotatableshaft; (d) causing a source of vacuum to be connected to the suctioncups to cause the folded carton to be gripped by said cups; (e) pullingthe carton from its horizontally stored position to and in way of guidemeans and by engagement with said guide means pushing the sides of thecarton to an erected condition at an erecting station; (f) afterbringing the carton to the erected condition causing the vacuum to thecups to be terminated to release the erected carton; (g) moving theerected carton from the erecting station, and (h) with the movingerected carton at a determined distance from the vacuum cups rotatingthe shaft and said carried cups to bring the cups in way of the nextcarton to be erected.
 2. The method of automatically feeding anderecting folded cartons as in claim 1 in which the intermittentadvancing of the endless belt includes a cam-actuated tightening pulleycarried on a pivoted arm and with a cam disposed to move said pivotedarm, said cam being carried on and rotated with the shaft which carriesthe suction cups.
 3. The method of automatically feeding and erectingfolded cartons as in claim 1 which further includes the step of carryingthe erected carton on a reciprocated frame moved by a hydrauliccylinder, the movement of said frame also causing a drive shaft to berotated and there is provided a belt connecting said drive shaft to theshaft carrying the suction cups, the connecting of said belt being in amanner so to provide a determined lost motion to insure a delay in themovement of the suction cups to the lowermost folded carton in the stackand in the movement of the suction cups from the erected carton.
 4. Themethod of automatically feeding and erecting folded cartons as in claim3 which further includes connecting the hydraulic cylinder which movesthe reciprocated frame to another hydraulic cylinder, said cylinder asit is moved developing the vacuum source connected to the vacuum cups.5. The method of automatically feeding and erecting a folded carton asin claim 1 which further includes moving the erected carton in responseto the reciprocated movement of a drive shaft which is connected by abelt to the shaft carrying the suction cups, said connecting belt beingattached to each shaft so as to drive and rotate either of the shaftsless than one revolution in either direction, said connecting beltshaving a determined slack to provide a determined lost motion action toinsure delay in the movement of the suction cups to the lowermost foldedcarton in the stack and to a like extent in the movement of the cupsfrom the erected carton.